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Sunday, January 12, 2014

Countdown to Confidence: Let's Get Started

Hi there! This post is so
long overdue (it was supposed to go up in July), but here it is now, and I’m
so, so happy to finally share this with you. Being confident is something that
is so important in every person’s life and lacking it can really put a toll on
your personal growth, your social interactions, and just your life in general,
which isn’t ever a good thing.

This new series called “Countdown to Confidence” is
something that I’ve been thinking long and hard about for a while now and with
these posts, I’m just going to be sharing what I found that helped me change
from a silly girl who worried about what everyone thought of her to someone who
walks the halls not giving a care in the world that she’s wearing the most
psychedelic pants. I’ll be covering things like how I got started (hint: I
faked it ‘til I made it – that post will be coming up soon!), how I got my skin
to clear up, changing my eating and exercise habits (or lack thereof), and
being confident with what you wear, but if there’s something else you’d like to
see as well, let me know in a comment.

Yesterday, I shared with you a bit of my story and in
today’s post, I’ll be talking all about how to get started on your journey.
Maybe some of them will sound a bit cheesy or lame to you, but I promise you,
it does help!

Yes, there are dictionary definitions that sound about as
dry and unappealing as the day-old bread in the bakery, but the first step to
confidence is to come up with your definition of it. What does
confidence mean to you? Is it holding your head up high when you’re feeling
your worst or is it being daring and bold?

To me, being confident is being true to yourself without fear. Being confident is being happy
enough with yourself not to let every stupid comment screw you over. Being
confident is wearing what you want and when you want, despite the stares and
thinking, “Yeah, that’s right. I went there.” Unless you’re wearing a crop top
with your midriff baring at school (ahem, please read your school dress code).
Then that’s a completely different story.

Of course, that’s just a tidbit of my definition and
everyone’s will be different. Write down a list (you know how much I love
those!) of all the things that make you
feel confident and like you’re on top of the world.

Yeah, those gorgeous models in the magazines might seem
“perfect,” but if you think that if you’re perfect in terms of having the
perfect makeup, the perfect clothes, hair, grades, etc., you will achieve true
confidence, I hate to break it to you, but that’s just not how it works. Sure,
they’re all things that can influence it and there’s nothing wrong with wanting
nice clothes, hair, grades, whatever it may be, but once you check all those
things off your list, you’re not going to be that much more confident. It’s
something that happens on the inside, as opposed to something based on objects.
As cliché as this sounds, don’t try to make yourself perfect, but rather accept your imperfections, something
you’ve probably heard ten too many times before.

No matter how independent you are, I’m sure anyone and
everyone can benefit from an example. Think of the people in your life or
famous people who you think exude confidence and who you look up to. When I
think of confidence, I think of Taylor Swift, I think of Miley. They have
completely different images, but they both stay
true to themselves and don’t let
what others think dictate what they’re going to do, and that’s how they’ve
become so successful.

Sure, accepting yourself is a pretty big step to gaining confidence, but before you do that, what is it about yourself that bothers you? And don't say everything because that's just going to make you feel like absolute crap. If it's having good skin that makes you feel good about yourself and you're not there yet, maybe it's time you take charge and change it (a post for that will be coming up soon, as well!). If it's your outer appearance that bugs you, start working out! It'll make you feel amazing. There's no point in sitting in your room feeling sorry for yourself if you don't take action.

When you look in the mirror and point out all those flaws,
ask yourself: What’s the point? Why are you doing that to yourself? Turn your
negative thoughts into positive ones, which is so much easier said than done,
but it can be done.

The same goes for when you’re around other people. If you’re
someone who gets easily intimidated by those around you (I was once that girl),
just remember that they’re just like you. They have their own insecurities and
their own problems, so if they have something negative to say to you, just
ignore it unless they’re bullying you, then that’s never okay.

When you stop worrying about all those little things,
especially in public, it will definitely help with your overall confidence,
trust me. Don’t take yourself too seriously because chances are, no one else is
paying that much attention.

Excited about the new series? What other topics would you like me to cover? What do you think confidence is? Leave your comments and share your stories below! I'd love to hear them.

6 comments:

Wow. I was impressed by how confident and assuring you are! That made me look forward to your future posts even more :) .Being myself has always been difficult, it's hard to not care what others think because you never know what you didn't see. Also, I'm also quite afraid that I'll become sort of self-conceited instead of confident. I think what helped me the most is taking control of my life, that makes me feel more positive!

I totally agree. Confidence is something that is difficult to gain, but once you have it, everything else is so much easier. I really like this post and it's really helpful for getting those first steps to overall confidence.